By Caitlin McGlade | The Arizona Republic
A West Valley developer is taking a second dig at opening a gravel- and sand-mining site across from the Glendale Municipal Airport.
John F. Long Properties recently requested a zoning permit to mine roughly 100 acres for 10 to 15 years near Glen Harbor Boulevard.
The mining operation would fund the company’s planned Copperwing Business Park, a development on the same property drafted years ago that stalled in the recession. The park looks to attract small-scale manufacturing companies with store fronts, which would occupy the site’s remaining 200 acres, closer to Glendale Avenue.
The plan is to start building Copperwing while mining is conducted, eventually filling in the excavation area to become part of the business park.
In 2009, the Glendale Planning Commission approved Copperwing but rejected the request to open a mining operation, saying the business was not a good fit for the “western gateway to the city and its sports and entertainment district.”
City officials feared excess dust, noise and a damaged aesthetic.
